'An American Pickle' A Review

An American Pickle is a comedy about a Jewish immigrant Herschel(Seth Rogan) who falls into a vat of pickles in 1919's New York only to awaken 100 years later and connect with his great grandson Ben(Seth Rogan). Herschel struggles to acclimate to modern times and he and Ben quickly clash over family and career.

Rogan puts in a lovely and surprising double act, balancing some pretty broad comedy with affecting heart. More time is spent on Herschel, his character and journey, as opposed to Ben the millenial archetype and that focus is wonderfully fresh coming from the actor/producer. The supporting cast is all great but the film is primarily concerned with the generational tension between the two leads and the performances may not be particularly flashy like Cage in Adaptation or Hardy in Legend but the humor balanced with the grounded honest emotion really works.

Visually intriguing with some adjustments of the aspect ratio, the look is assured and effective letting the situations and performances drive the story with the occasional editing flourish. A narrative, absurd in some ways, with excellent pacing perfectly balances sometimes outrageous laughs with some poignant meditations on culture, family, ambition, and even death. Rogan continues to evolve far beyond his schlub-stoner persona and those that still harbor preconceptions of him would do well to look at his recent work.

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

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